The Gift That Keeps On Giving

I stayed at my grandparents place the weekend of Thanksgiving in 1984. It’s a weird thing to remember, as I’m terrible with calendars, and can rarely place favorite memories exactly in space and time, let alone in the right order. I only know that I was there that weekend as I slept in until almost noon that next day, Friday.

I blame the tryptophan overload of the previous day. And possibly the gallons of gravy I ingested.

Anyway, I only remember it was that Friday, and I only remember I was there, as I rolled out of bed and stumbled out into the living room to catch an excited pre-game my grandpa was watching. The CBS talking heads were gearing up excitedly for a big football game, an end-of-season, just-before-the-bowls matchup between two top-ranked college teams – the eighth-ranked Miami Hurricanes, led by quarterback Bernie Kosar and coach Jimmy Johnson, and the upstart tenth-ranked Boston College Eagles, led by some upstart himself, quarterback Doug Flutie. The game was being played in Miami, and called by an in-his-prime Brent Musburger.

The game was an offensive slugfest. A paean to adrenaline. Kosar threw for an astounding 447 yards, setting a new school record, along with two touchdowns. Miami’s powerful running back Melvin Bratton put up four touchdowns on the day.

That’s right. Six touchdowns between those two gents and an insurance field goal racked up 45 points for Miami, a ridiculous total. That must have been untouchable. Right?

The phenom that Flutie had been all season shone through in the nationally televised game. Throwing for 472 yards, he became the first major-college quarterback to surpass 10,000 yards in his career. He also passed for three touchdowns in the game. You may have heard about the last one. But just in case…

I… lost it. A 65-yard Hail Mary, through three defenders, on the road. 92 points between two teams I didn’t care a whit about at games’ beginning… But wow, was I a Boston College fan by the second half. I jumped up and down so much at the end of the last play, I bonked my head twice on my grandpa’s weirdo stucco-popcorn ceiling. He was laughing his head off at me hooting and hollering, and now with some minor defensive wounds to the noggin. I still have a tiny scar from one.

Even more importantly to me, I remember that weekend vividly to this day. The second batch of gravy made after someone – my mother and grandmother disagree who – burned the first batch. The walk I took with my grandma that Saturday through their neighborhood, and what we talked about… after me yet again sleeping too late. Finally getting up early on Sunday to join her at church. It’s all there in fresh detail like few other Thanksgiving weekends are, and I attribute a lot of that to the memory of one of the best college football games I’ve ever seen. It was also one of the last Thanksgivings I’d spend with my grandpa.

It left me to wonder if last weekend’s World Cup Final was close enough to the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa celebrations for this holiday season to also stick in my head. I entered into the game just hoping for a good and fun contest, not thinking I was pulling for anyone. By the time France was lining up for a penalty shot late in the game’s overtime to tie it, I was deeply and obviously rooting for Argentina. When the penalty went down, I quite literally dropped to my knees and stayed there until the game was tied. It was an unbelievably emotional and riveting contest, yet another sporting event from so many over the years that will stick with me. Who I was with. What we talked about. What we ate. Who we were each cheering for.

There’s a huge block of psychology that shows how negative memories tend to stick with us more easily and often than positive memories do. Any sort of highly emotional memory has a higher propensity of sticking, and those that kick in our fight-or-flight response? Forget about it.

Which makes those positive and clear recollections all the more special. The moments that something wonderful and spectacular enough come along to keep all of those great moments stuck to you as well. I’m astounded by how often some of those clearest recollections are also associated with a moment in sports I simply couldn’t forget. Where I was when Big John Tate went down. What I was eating when the Broncos won their first Super Bowl. And their second. And their third. Who I celebrated with for all three Avs championships. The joke I was still laughing at when Nikola Jokic recorded the fastest triple-double in NBA history. Where I sat in the restaurant to be able to see the TV when Matty Holliday took one on the chin for Rocktober.

And on. And on.

As we settle into this Christmas weekend, and no matter which holiday you celebrate, there is truly a plethora of exciting and memory-making sports to grab onto while the world affords most of us a chance to take a deep breath together, and hopefully with the ones that we love. A wealth of such opportunities. Such a great gift, and one that is giving close to 365 days a year. Hell, come Tax Day, there’s probably a game or two on to lift my spirits.

So, as you settle down for a long winter’s nap, or simply a turkey-fueled coma, grab a couple of those loved ones in-between winks and watch some of the drama, agony, and joy that these incredible athletes can bring. You might find yourself caring about a team you had no idea existed. You might find yourself making some great and happy memories that stick with you for a lifetime.

Happy Holidays, and have a great weekend, DNVR.